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9/9/14

Rides 9/9: I rallied

Every morning's the same, but different. Every morning's different, but the same. If this passes as a deep thought, it's likely you've been using spray paint in a confined space. Please crack a window.

Slightly varied repetition. It's like different bands covering the same song. You know the words and the melody, but there's a freshness in a different timber or in an unexpected lilt or trill. Speaking of music, I'd just like to clarify that I have terrible taste in it. Like, legitimately bad taste. I wish I were kidding, but I genuinely believe that whatever's best is whatever's the most popular right now. How could so many people be wrong simultaneously? Doesn't the law of averages mean that this is impossible? [is there even a law of averages? Thanks, Obama]

Anyway, the "Shake It Off" of bicycles routes these days is M Street. There was a Metro Access van and a box truck parked in the cycletrack and then there's the part of the sidewalk that's closed where the cycletrack becomes a sidewalk. Swift? Hardly.

I didn't stop for croissants at any of the places I could've stopped and made it to work without an buttery encumbrance. I can't help but think that was a tactical error. I think we could have a greater bike mode share than Copenhagen if breakfast pastries were tax deductible for bike commuters. Danish? Indeed.

There seemed to be extra car traffic everywhere on the way home. It's probably has something to do with more people making car trips. Or because DDOT spent all summer narrowing the roads by just one inch every day and only now, after months of this devious prank, has anyone finally realized the net result. I bet it's that and not the whole more cars thing.

On L Street, I saw and rode with Ross, who I've known so long (and haven't seen in forever) that we used to ride a together back when BicycleSpace was on I Street. He's heading out of town again for work (bon voyage!), but it was great to see him and share some of the commute. You just don't get to do stuff like this if you drive to work. I mean, you could, but shouting through open car windows as you dawdle down the highway seems considerably more burdensome. Anyway, among other things, we talked about a fairly crazy sounding bicycle ride from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea and now I have a new life goal: to never ride a bicycle from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea.

L to 11th (bumpy) to Pennsylvania and up to East Capitol and down Kentucky to the grocery store where both my kale and the reusable mesh produce bag in which it rested were commented upon favorably by the woman working at the checkout (#thistown?). She did not comment on the cake slice I also purchased.